His mother took out the pistol that she carried. She grabbed one of the coils that was attached to the doctor, pressed the nose of her pistol against it and fired. There was a deafening noise of the shot. Jace’s ears rang even with the memory of it. Fluid the color of a sunrise poured out of the injured coil and it reared back like a serpent. His mother shot the other coil.
“Go! Go! Get out of here!” his mother commanded Dr. Rancic.
His mother pushed Dr. Rancic back towards the door while she covered her with the gun. But the coils were not interested in Dr. Rancic any longer. He saw the instant his mother realized who they were interested in. The coils were looking at his mother’s stomach. At him.
No… Jace whispered.
His mother lifted her weapon even as she was turning to run. But she knew she wasn’t going to get out of there in time. She got off a single shot but it went wide. Then one of the coils launched itself towards her stomach.
Drilling in… Jace shuddered.
His mother’s scream had chills racing up and down Jace’s spine. Where had it drilled into him? He knew it had.
That scar… at the base of my spine… that… that’s it, isn’t it, Gehenna?
It was a small hollowed out spot that he only knew about because the military doctors had thought maybe something about his spine was causing the headaches. To him it had just been a birthmark, nothing unique or interesting, and that they were barking up the wrong tree. But, of course, they knew what had happened to him in the womb while he’d been kept in the dark.
Yes, Gehenna’s voice was soft. Guilty. I had chosen Dr. Rancic. I had gotten the doors to open. I thought that I was in control. The Osiris was asleep, but then… then it woke up.
When YOU opened the doors? Jace asked.
Yes, Gehenna answered and said nothing more.
But why did you… why did you do that? Jace asked, but then he thought of the cell and thought he knew. She had been trapped. She needed a Pilot to get her out of there. Dr. Rancic had been her shot to get out of prison.
I had no idea that the Osiris would do what it did! I should have realized that my crude access was never going to be enough... She broke off.
Why did Osiris go after me and not my mom?
Your mother didn’t have to shoot it. It would have let Dr. Rancic go, Gehenna continued in a rushed voice, not answering him. You… you were a much better choice. So much better than anyone else.
He blinked. So… you wanted it to connect with me--
No! I would never have done that! Not to a baby! The Osiris chose, she said. It was going to--to remove you from your mother.
Another vision. Blood blooming on his mother’s shirt. She went down onto her knees. She grabbed the coil and placed the gun against the coil again, but this time Osiris wasn’t having that. Another coil knocked his mother’s hand away. The gun went flying. She let out another gasping scream and grabbed the coil with both hands, trying to pull it out. Her mouth opened in another scream, but this time silent. More blood flowed over her pregnant belly. Her eyes sought out the gun, but it had slid far out of reach.
The coil attached to his mother--attached to him--started to pull them into the pool. Other coils were rising up out of the pool. Their ends, which all had barbs on them were coming towards her. His mother saw them coming and she dug the heels of her shoes into the floor and tried to pull away from the pool. But her shoes slid on the slick surface. There was a squeal as she was dragged into the pool. Her heels, her ankles, her calves. All into the electric blue water. His mother scrabbled with her fingertips against the floor, but it was no use. He felt her strain, giving everything she had to keep them out of the pool.
But it wasn’t going to work.
Her thighs were in. Her waist was under. She let out a yell just as her hands readed the end of the floor. The other coils with the barbed tips rose up above his mother. They were ready to strike. They were going to cut into her to get him. The barbs whirred.
And then they stopped and fell to the ground like dead things. His mother gasped. She was floating in the tank. Gasping. Panting. It was only then that soldiers stormed into the Core.
I got back control. Just at the last minute, Gehenna whispered.
The vision ended. All he could see were coils and the flash of light and darkness. Then he twisted his head around farther and looked down. He saw that they were over the pool.
It was all my fault, Jace, Gehenna whispered. I knew how special your mother was. I had no idea how special you were… are. I think that the Osiris played me all along.
How so? Jace asked, still stunned at what he had seen and she had said.
She let out a bitter laugh. I think it only let me believe I was opening the doors for Dr. Rancic when it was really opening the doors for you. My crude attempt to make Dr. Rancic into the Pilot was… well, like I said, when you were there it cut off my control. We both needed one another for a time. It needed a power source and I needed… well, cooperation.
Jace blinked. He suddenly could understand what had happened. It waited until Mom was alone.
Yes, and when you were viable outside of the womb, Gehenna sighed.
